Welcome to Sparta

We want to welcome you to Sparta, please feel free to enjoy our southern hospitality as we welcome you to our little town. As fans of "In The Heat Of The Night" we hope you enjoy this site as much as we do. We hope you will sign up to be a subscriber to this site so that you can keep up with all things Heat.

Carroll O'Connor As: Chief/Sheriff Bill Gillespie

Hugh O'Connor As: Lt. Lonnie Jameson

Dan Bigger As: Dr. Robb

Howard Rollins Jr. As: Det. Virgil Tibbs

Lois Nettleton as: JoAnne St. John

Heat Facts

Did you Know?

Here are some interesting fact about the show. If you know of a fact, please submit them for inclusion into this page.

Season 5 Episode 15: Odessa

Earl “Holly” Colmer’s son is killed in this episode. Colmer is eventually written in as a recurring character. He becomes a city councilman with an adversarial relationship to Harriet and Gillespie.

Season 5 Episode 14: Love, Honor and Obey

Jill Jane Clements who had a recurring role as Maude the pawn shop owner plays the bartender in this episode.

Season 5 Episode 10: An Eye for an Eye

Hugh O’Connor was deathly afraid of horses. As a result, he had a difficult time doing his riding scene in this episode.

Season 5 Episode 8: Sweet, Sweet Blues

William J Royce was inspired to write this story based on the Medgar Evers story. This episode was written three years before the case was re-opened and Beckwith was finally tried for this murder, and five years before Rob Reiner’s “Ghosts of the Mississippi.”

William J Royce also wrote the music and lyrics to the song, “Sweet, Sweet, Blues” performed by Bobby Short in this episode

Season 3 Episode 4: Murder Most Ancient

Although she is not seen in the episode (only her voice is heard during the fake travel agency phone call), Crystal Fox is still credited in the closing credits as Luann.

Season 3 Episode 3: Fairest of Them All

We learn that Virgil’s birthday is May 10th.

Season 2 Episode 22: Missing

Watch when Bubba walks past the truck on the left side. He bumps into the side-view mirror

Season 2 Episode 18: Accused

This episode marked a shift in the relationship between Virgil and Bubba. In many of the earlier episodes the two pretty much had an antagonistic relationship. However, following this episode the two become close friends.

Season 2 Episode 11: A Trip Upstate

This was Carroll O’Connor’s favorite episode of the entire series.

Season 2 Episode 5: Prisoners

When everyone is congratulating Sweet on his first bust. Watch when Lonnie and Bubba go into the evidence room. No lights are ever seen going on as they are shutting the door.

!!!Trivia for the Show!!!

Several episodes, as well as two In The Heat Of The Night movies, written by Carroll O’Connor were credited under his pen name of Matt Harris.

William “Bill” Champlin of the band Chicago sings the opening theme song for the show. In 1992, at the beginning of the series’ sixth season the show was moved to the CBS television network.

Did you know that the crazy judge Cully, Lana Farren’s court appearance in “lake winahatchie,” also played “the Penguin” in the old Batman series?

Did you know that Harriot DeLong played a part in the film “Let’s do it Again, and Piece of the Action?” She was married for a time to singer Bill Withers (Lean on Me)!

Did you know that Luann Corbin, Crystal Foxx, played the maid Katie in “Driving Miss Daisy?”

Did you know that Luann’s brother Tyler, “brothers keeper,” played Shel Baylor in the series “Dave’s World?”

Did you know that Althea Tibbs played a part in the comedy “What’s Happening Now” (Raj’s wife). Also a brief nude scene in the film “Robot Jox!”

Did you know that Country singer Ed Aimes played the sheriff Ed Thompson in the episode “prisoners?” Another famous singer, Ketty Lester, played Hannah Carter in the episode “gunshot!” She played Jimmy Dawes’ grandmother, the old lady who sat on the porch in a wheelchair. She sang the hit “Love letters” in 1962!

Did you know that Dr. Harris Pendleton (mouthwash guy) in the episode “tear down these walls” is the same actor who sold Arnie Cunningham the car in the movie “Christine?” He was the guy who sold the Plymouth, George LeBay!

Did you know that in the episode “Maybelle returns,” it isn’t the same Maybelle? Dianne Ladd played the first one, and Elizabeth Ashley played the second one!

Did you know that Virgil’s niece Nicole in “country mouse, city mouse”, is Rianne Murtaugh from the “Lethal Weapon” series?

Did you know that D.A. Darnelle was a motel mgr. before he became the district attorney in “aka kelly kay?” In that episode he has a large beard….but it’s him!

Did you know that Dean Wormer in the motion picture “Animal House” is the Dr. in the episode “private sessions?”

Did you know that the Chief played a Martian in the series “The Outer Limits!”

Did you know that Carl Tibbets, the bookstore owner in “final arrangement” was Martin Lane on the “Patty Duke Show?” He also played Nilz Baris on the “Startrek” episode “the trouble with tribbles!”

If you want to see O.J. killed…..watch the episode “walkout” He plays Councilman Lawson Stiles who dies in the picture!

The motion picture “Prisoners,” where the two little kids are kidnapped has a few filming locations in Covington, Ga. I can’t wait to watch it and see what other locations we recognize!

Did you know Willie Baylor in the episode “country mouse, city mouse”, plays church organist Scooter in the film “The Fighting Temptations!”

The actress Deborah Duke played Odessa Robbins in the episode “odessa.” Without a lot of make-up she is the maid Mathilda in the episode “the more things change!”

Did you know in the episode “hammer and the glove”, Matthew played officer Bobby Hill in “Hill St. blues?”

It looks like in “family reunion” the building used as a salon, Curl up and Dye (cute name) is Mason’s Dixieline Bar in disguise!

Did you know that Althea Tibbs had TWO fathers?? One Calvin Peterson played by J. A. Preston in the episode “intruders.” Another, played by Mel Stewart in “lessons learned!” Mel was also Henry Jefferson in “All in the Family!”

Did you know that pimp Jude Thibodeaux from the episode “a.k.a. kelly kay”, is the “Control Voice” (the narrator) for the new “Outer Limits!”

Did you know hooker “Topaz” in the episode “stranger in town”, is Lexie Carter from “Days of our Lives!”

Did you know that Albert Tolliver in the episode “gunshot” (Tibbs shot his sister) also played Argyle the limo driver in “Die-Hard”, and the guitar thief that Ray Charles “saw” in the “Blues Brothers!”

Available On Saturdays

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Check out all that Sparta has to offer. Aka Covington Georgia, which is home to "Hollywood of the South". Several films as well as TV shows have been filmed in Covington. Check out their visitors center here